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Viel Nast Interview

Land Of Oyr

Self-Publisher’s Showcase: Today we are joined by Viel Nast, author of THE GREAT OLD ONES SERIES. Welcome to the Showcase Lounge, Viel

VN: glad to be with you, as a self-publisher I realize that I have to restrain my time writing to promote myself and make my books and writing known which is both hard as it keeps me from writing but interesting as well because I got to meet many people who work in the publishing market.

SPS: For any of our readers that haven’t come across your work previously, can you take a moment to tell us all a little about yourself and your work?

VN: I grew up with stories of adventure and travelling in distant lands reading Jules Verne’s and Alexander Dumas, among others, but the turning point was in 1992 when I got the lord of the rings trilogy. From then on my life was entwined with epic fantasy in every form. Epic fantasy reading (Tolkien, Moorcock, Howard etc), epic fantasy music (Manowar, Manilla road, Warlord etc), epic roleplaying games (AD&D 2e, MERP, Ars Magica) and epic living in general (hiking, mountaineering and HEMA-historical European martial arts!). Although I grew up with great stories and images of adventure and epic battle it was some five years ago that I decided to write some of my own ideas down. I experimented with various settings but I ended up building my own fantasy world, Land of Oyr, where I put now all my efforts and the Great Old Ones series is an introductory set of stories where, on one hand pay tribute to great writers, imitating their writing or storytelling style, while on the other hand introducing my fantasy world.

SPS:  What are your perfect writing conditions, and how often do you write?

VN: I work in a bank and lately my wife gave birth to a great little boy who occupies my time night and day! So my perfect writing conditions are to find every other day a few minutes alone and undisturbed to put some of the bustling ideas into the computer. I wish that someday I will make a living out of writing so that I could have an office where I would seclude myself for a few hours every day to write and think.

SPS: Can you put your finger on the moment where you decided that you wanted to publish your work?

VN: I have written already many drafts of short stories and a longer novel which I was thinking when and how to publish searching the internet for alternative ways to traditional publishing. When my son was born last November I decided that I must leave a legacy to him so I began editing the first story (Savage Swords, a tribute to R E Howard) and I published it in march the 16th when we came out of children’s hospital after a, now recovered, illness.  

SPS: Why do you think it is that you have found yourself writing in the style that you do?

VN: I have many great teachers in the art of writing and although I am but a poor student I try to write in a robust, manly way combining elaborate but not long descriptions, lively and powerful heroes and scenes that are combining intense action and extreme feelings. I want to revive the old writing style to create a new wave of classic epic fantasy!

SPS: What would you say, if anything, best differentiates you from other authors?

VN: as I say above the fact that I am going back in time to reach the great old ones and both their writing style and ideas.

SPS: Where does the inspiration for your work come from?

VN: mainly my former and current readings, my roleplaying adventures and my own ideas how a fantasy world should be and how heroes in it try to survive and shape the land and history.

SPS: Have you received a favourite review of your work?

VN: a couple of fellow writers have commended nicely of my first work and have found my world building interesting and original as well as unconventional but it is

SPS: What’s next on the self-publishing horizon for yourself?

VN: I am continuing finishing editing and publishing the rest of the first six stories in the great old ones series, although I have many in mind I will stop at six and then publish my first novella. Then I will continue with another batch of the series while I will write a big novel where I will depict a great period and event in Land of Oyr where an era will end and another will finish. Alongside I will continue a series called compendium where I give further information about land of oyr in my blog, although every book will have an appendix with historical info as well.

SPS: Was the Self-/Indie-Published route always your preferred route for your work?

VN: I never thought about taking the traditional road to publishing. I prefer to struggle by myself but retain the right to my work without anyone else dictating the way I should write. As the ancients said the road to virtue is always uphill.

SPS: Has the experience so far been all that you thought it would be?

VN: well I haven’t thought that marketing and promoting would be so time consuming, demanding and difficult. I now have to learn new skills that have no relation to writing but are needful like SEO, blog management etc, but it is also an interesting experience and rewarding in its own way. Also editing was another huge issue that I haven’t thought it would occupy so many hours but through it I am becoming a better writer so there is nothing exclusively negative in the whole procedure.           

VN: If you could give one piece of advice for someone looking to get into writing, what would it be?

VN: to write and write without end. Writing is manual exercise thinking and planning is a small part the rest is manually typing your thoughts into words which is more difficult than it seems. So write and never stop no matter what everyone else tells you!

SPS: Before we bring this interview to a close, it’s your chance to name-drop. Anyone who you feel is deserving of more recognition at present or someone whose writing you have recently enjoyed? Now is your chance to spread the word…

VN: I will please both old and current writers. I am currently reading Henryk Sienkiewicz, a great writer from Poland a Nobel holder with historical novels about medieval Poland. I am anticipating J R R Tolkien’s “Berem and Luthien” novel and as thousands the last books of the Martin’s Games of Thrones saga. From the newer generation I will like to thank T S Adrian for her support and John Robin for his help on world building experience.

SPS: Thank you for joining us today, and all the best for the future.

VN: it was a pleasure sharing my epic fantasy loving with you. My second short story tribute to J R R Tolkien will be out soon, I would love to share it with you.

SPS: For more information on Viel and her work, please do visit https://landofoyr.wordpress.com

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